As promised, here is the second cover reveal this week. Saving Anne de Bourgh is a full-length novel I wrote last year, and unusually, I wrote the bulk of it, or probably about 84-90% in the space of about three weeks. I usually take much longer to write anything, but for whatever reason, the words continued to come hard and fast; many days I was writing three chapters a day. Most of the major action happens in one day, so that…
As I promised last week, I have a cover reveal today. Four Days at Netherfield was a project I conceived recently, one that has made it to the publishing stage far more quickly than most of my ideas. It is funny how that works sometimes, for delays can happen at any stage of the process, from outlining to final edits and covers. I currently have more than 15 variations outlined and waiting in my to do folder, which will give you…
As many of you may already know, I am a summer person. I often comment that I never complain about the heat in the summer because I reserve the right to complain about the cold in the winter. The heat gets a bit uncomfortable at times, but it never bothers me much, as I much prefer being too warm than too cold, which is why I really despise winters. Makes you wonder why I live in the frozen north, where…
I enjoy posting excerpts. It’s always interesting to offer a glimpse of what is in the pipe and hear what people are thinking. Before I publish each book, I do a rigorous editing program which allows other eyes to look at my manuscript, and ends up costing me many hours of time revising, dealing with any language not appropriate for the genre such as anachronisms, and trying to find that exact word that will say what I wish to say….
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a sucker for piano music. For today’s post, I thought rather than give you one piano, I’d give you two! Mozart’s sonata for two pianos was written in 1781 when he was 25 years old. The entire work is sublime, but my favorite part is the second movement, which I will share today. Enjoy!
For today’s post, I thought I would go back to a subject that always seems to be of interest–an excerpt. On this occasion, I have several to choose from as I have three books in various stages of the writing progress. I chose Four Days at Netherfield because it is likely the closest to seeing Amazon’s virtual store shelves. As usual when I post excerpts, this is hot off the presses with little editing done, so you may fine an error…
I have long loved classical music, as those who have read my blog posts over the years will likely remember. Of the various subsections of the overall classical genre, I tend to be a classical guy, though I do like some romance and baroque music too (think Mozart). I’m not a fan of modern classical, as most of it seems to be a contest of who can create the most discordant cacophony. My favorite composers have always been Mozart and…
As you can probably see by the title, this post was supposed to be published yesterday. For the delay I offer sincere apologies, for I was anticipating this post, which is an excerpt! I hope you will all forgive me if I offer this little tidbit to you, a story that you’ll be able to read for yourself by the end of the month! The story is called Mr. Darcy’s Return, though that might change if whim and fancy take me…
Rather than a specific piece, I thought I would highlight a music style today–the barcarolle. A barcarolle is a traditional folk song sung by Venetian gondoliers and over time has come to mean any piece of music that was composed in that style. A barcarolle when done properly is supposed to give the sensation of traveling on waves through music. It is usually written in 3/4 or 6/8 time (or some other three beat pattern) and is often, though certainly…
I haven’t done an idiom in some time, so I thought I would return to the fascinating world of idioms on this lazy Monday. Idioms are sayings that make little sense from a practical standpoint, but mean something in common language. Storm in a teacup is not one of the more used idioms, but is common enough that just about anyone who speaks English natively should know it. Storm in a teacup is the concept that a small matter is…